Lost 3.03 - "Further Instructions"

The third episode this season focuses on John Locke and what happened (kind of) to the Hatch in the season finale. Even though the episode seems to pick up right where we left it - Locke failed to "push the button" and Desmond was forced to go deep inside the Hatch and turn the "fail safe key" - unfortunately there are few questions answered....

We find Locke laying on his back in the jungle, unable to speak, he looks up and sees Mr. Eko's "Jesus Stick" falling from a tree towards his head. He takes this as a sign that he must "speak to the island" to find out what he must do next.

The flashbacks this episode take us back into Locke's past. It is unclear where in the timeline of Locke's previous flashbacks this one fits in. Locke picks up a hitchhiker named Eddie. (played by "War of the Worlds" actor - Justin Chatwin).

Locke takes his Eddie to meet his new family - a strange commune of hippy-ish people all living together in one compound.

Back on the island and present day, Locke builds a sweat lodge so that he can meditate and hear what the island is trying to tell him.

He is soon visited by a familiar face - his old hunting partner/sidekick and Season One's first casualty - Boone.

Boone takes Locke into a his own dream world - the Sydney Airport where everyone boarded the ill-fated Oceanic Flight 815. Boone tells Locke that some of his friends need his help badly.

We see the castaways in very different ways....

Charlie, Claire and baby Aaron - a happy family.

No - not them.

Hurley as an Oceanic Airlines employee

Not him either.

Sayid, Sun and Jin waiting in line

"No, Sayid will take care of them." Boone tells Locke

Finally we turn and see...

Kate, Jack and Sawyer.

"You need to help them."

Then Boone suddenly changes.

Reminding us and Locke of his tragic end.

"But first," Boone says, "You must clean up your own mess."

Then this pops out of his dream and at us - the polar bear - rabid and very pissed.

Locke comes out of his dream and sweat lodge a changed man - he knows what he must do.


He must save Eko.


Locke the Hunter is Back!

Later, Locke and Charlie run into a returning Hurley, who tells them what happened to him and that Jack, Kate and Sawyer have been captured by "The Others".

Back in Locke's flashback we find out that the commune and "new family" of Locke's is actually a marijuana farm.

And they are freakin' out, because Locke's new friend that he brought to them is actually an undercover cop.

Locke has been betrayed - again by someone he trusted.

"I will take care of it." says Locke.

And he does - he takes the cop out in the woods, tell him he knows who he is. And
ask why?

"Because your a farmer, John. You're not a hunter."

Eddie begins to slowly walk backwards to get away. Locke tells him to stop - but cannot bring himself to stop him.

Eddie gets away.

We go back to the island where Hurley, almost back to his camp, runs into a very nude Desmond.

Hurley gives him extra clothes and tells him about what happened to him, Jack et al.

Desmond tells Hurley not to worry because Locke said "in his speech" that he was going to save the captured three from "The Others".

But Desmond hadn't seen Locke yet.

Huh?

Locke and Charlie finally come upon the polar bear's cave. Locke enters alone.

And comes across some of the bears past victims. (Notice the Dharma logo - has the bear been snacking on Others?)

He comes across Eko, hurt but alive.

He is able to save Eko against the bear (with the help of his torch and some hairspray) and Locke and Charlie bring Eko back to camp.

Back at the camp - Locke, with his mess cleaned up, makes a speech to the other survivors - he is going to save Jack, Kate and Sawyer.

Hurley glances in Desmond's direction - did he know? How?

Here are my problems with this episode - not enough answers. And the answers we got - didn't make sense.

We are told that the Hatch imploded and is destroyed - but how did the three people in the Hatch physically get out of the crater that was left?

How did Eko fall into the clutches of the polar bear?

Why didn't Charlie seem more concerned about the others when he got back from the destroyed Hatch?

How did Desmond lose his clothes? Is he clairvoyant now? A time traveler? What did the Hatch destruction do to him?

All in all - I was left a little dissatisfied. The flashbacks didn't really give out any new info and the story really didn't progress much from where we left it at last seasons end.

But we did get introduced to the two background survivors that will be coming the forefront now.

Paulo

and Nikki.

Expect to see more of them to come.

Next Week: "Every Man For Himself" a Sawyer-centric episode.



Here's hoping we get just a little more resolutions and a little less visions and dreams.

Until then...